Into the Sonset
by future author at work
Summary: What if Sonny had been adopted as a baby? What happens when her birth mother sees her on So Random?
1. Prologue: Into the Setting Son

**Summary: What if Sonny had been adopted when she was a baby? What happens when her birth mother sees her on TV?**

**Prologue: Into the Setting Son**

It was a cold winter evening. While most mothers were feeding their children hot chocolate, snug in blankets by their fireplaces, one found herself trudging through four inches of snow, a small bundle wrapped in her arms. Her new baby snuggled into her, desperately searching for her mother's warmth.

The young mother continued to walk down the deserted road despite the sting of winter air against the unprotected faces of her and her child. Her destination was not far off, and she wanted to reach it before sunset. After all, she wouldn't get another chance since her flight would be taking off in the morning.

This would be the perfect family for her daughter, she had heard. They were kind, gently, loving; everything that she had hoped for; everything that she couldn't be.

As she reached the porch, she found herself staring hard at the front door of their home. She would knock and leave the baby on the porch to be found. Still, she couldn't bring her fingers to move. There was nothing that she wanted more than to keep the daughter wrapped in her arms, but she knew that she could not. Her parents would reject her; throw her and her daughter onto the street. The father wanted nothing to do with her or their child. She was alone.

She kissed the precious baby's head one last time before gently knocking on the door. She squeezed her hand into a tight fist against the cold and knocked loud enough to wake up the neighborhood. She then set the baby gently on the porch and hid in the nearby bushes to keep herself from being seen.

When the front door opened, spilling rich firelight onto the porch, she heard a gasp escape the woman's lips. She reached down and picked up the bundle, gently cradling it in her arms. "There, there," she whispered, gently rocking the child to sleep. She lifted her head and looked around the street, searching for whomever had left her this precious gift. Giving up her search, the woman retired into the house, carrying the child with her.

The mother allowed herself to escape from her hiding spot. She felt a light tear fall down her cheek before freezing as sit fell past her face. Oh how it hurt to see her child wrapped in someone else's arms, but she knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, both against the cold and the heartache. Taking in a deep breath, she turned around and began her journey home, into the setting sun.


	2. Chapter 1: Walking on Sonshine

**Hey everyone, this is just a random idea that popped into my head and I was so surprised to find so many reviews. Thank you everyone who review. And for those of you who put this story on favorite or alerts, I appreciate it, but I would really like to have a review so I can know what you really think. Please, it's just one button and a few letters. Thanks everybody. **

**By the way: This story takes place a little deeper into the show so Sonny and Chad are together. (The way it should be.) Also, this chapter is going to be in Sonny's P.O.V. because I prefer to write in first person. :D  
**

**Chapter 1: Walking on Sonshine  
**

I sighed heavily as I pulled on my milkshake costume.

"Oh, you're complaining," Tawni shrieked, "at least you don't have to be a 2000 calorie hamburger!"

I ignored her as we walked out on the set to do the sketch. I really didn't dressing in ridiculous costumes, but I wanted to impress Chad. We would be going out once we were done today, and the last thing I wanted was for him to show up early and see me dressed as a milkshake.

"Alright, everyone in your positions!" Marshall called, ushering each of us to move to one side or the other.

I mechanically went through the sketch, constantly glancing around to make sure that Chad hadn't arrived yet. I said my lines the same as I had practiced them, and happily escaped to my dressing room once I was done.

"Hello Sonny," Chad greeted me when I opened the door to my dressing room.

I flushed bright pink. "I was hoping you wouldn't see me like this," I mumbled, slipping behind the curtain to change into something presentable.

Chad smiled when I emerged dressed in a short, pink summer dress. "Better?" I asked, modeling it for him.

"Better," he mumbled, smiling again. I was surprised by how much less Chad managed to talk about himself once we started dating. It actually made spending time with him much easier and much more comfortable.

Tawni entered just then, frowning at both of us. She turned and glared at me. "I thought you of all people would learn from your mistakes," she said, clicking her tongue at me. She shook her head once before walking away, her tomato hips shaking.

Chad took my hand and led me out of the studio. It was nice to be able to get away and forget about So Random for a little while. As much as I loved the show, remembering line after line and wearing costume after costume could get pretty tiring. We slipped into the back of Chad's limo.

I wondered how long we would have together before the paparazzi came swarming in. That was basically how every date would end. One hour of alone time, one hour of running away from the press. Unfortunately, today was no different.

I found myself storming back into the studio, just wanting to get away from it all. Was a quiet date with my boyfriend really too much to ask for? All I wanted was to be able to spend one simple day away from the paparazzi.

"Sonny, there you are," Marshall said, walking up to me and grabbing me by the arm. "There's a woman here to see you."

"Tell her I'm busy," I said, storming into my dressing room and slamming the door shut.

"Sonny," Marshall called from outside of the room, "she came all the way from New York to see you. The least you can do is see what she wants."

"I'm not in the mood!" I screamed.

"Not in the mood for what?" Tawni asked me as she tried on different shades of lipstick.

"Anything," I said, pushing pillow into my face. "Do you ever get tired of being chased by the press?"

Tawni actually laughed at that. "Oh, Sonny, don't be ridiculous. There's nothing quite as fabulous as walking on sunshine!" I stared aggravatedly at her as she brushed her blonde hair back. How could she really be so perky all the time.

I pushed my face back into the pillow as the door to our dressing room opened. "Go away!" I screamed.

"Are you really that upset?" Chad asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him, fighting back a smile. "I'm sick of all the pictures and the questions and the lack of privacy."

"Are you telling me that you didn't realize that it was all in the package?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

"If you two start getting all mushy-gushy, I'm leaving," Tawni interupted, turning her nose up in disgust.

I ignored her, looking into Chad's deep blue eyes. "I just want to be able to spend some time alone with you."

"Good, have some alone time!" Tawni screamed, picking up her make-up and storming out of the dressing room. She slammed the door shut behind her loud enough that the echo continued to reflect off the walls seconds after she was gone.

"We're alone now," Chad whispered.

As I leaned in for a kiss, the dressing room door opened again. "What now?" I screamed, turning towards the door. At the door stood a woman in her early thirties with dark brown hair and creamy brown eyes.

"Oh Sonny!" She screamed, rushing over to me and embracing me.

"Hi," I replied, trying not to sound freaked out and annoyed. "Who are you?"

The woman pulled back, searching my eyes. "Oh, sweet heart, I'm your mother."

**Okay, so what do you think? Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Day With No Sonset

**Chapter 2: A Day With No Sonset**

I pulled out of the embrace, staring at the woman as her smile seemed to drop. "Look, lady," I said, putting some distance between the two of us, "I don't know who you are, but I can guarantee that you're not my mother." i turned to look at Chad to find that he was looking at me, his face seeming just as bewildered as I felt.

"Well, of course I am," the woman replied, reaching out to take my hand. "You look just like your grandmother when she was a kid. And you have your father's smile."

"Look," I said, crossing the room to keep her from touching me again, "You have about ten seconds to leave before I call security."

"Oh, I'm not leaving," she responded, standing up and crossing the room to join me. "I came all this way to take you back with me. I want you back."

"Just get out!" I screamed, my breath coming out in a rush. She stared at me for a moment as if she couldn't believe that I didn't want some strange woman coming in here and telling me that she was my mother. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude," I started again, "but you must have me mistaken with somebody else."

"Oh, there's no mistake," she said, heading for the door as if she just suddenly became mindful of my irritation. "You are my daughter, Sonny, and you will come back with me. You will."

* * *

Once I finally got the strange woman out of my dressing room, I found myself sitting in the corner crying. I hated myself for even considering the fact that there may be a chance that she was telling the truth. But I continued to tell myself that she wasn't. Mom, my _real_ mom, never would have lied to me. If I had been adopted, then I would know. She would have told me that when I was little, I wouldn't be hearing about that now.

Chad sat with me, holding me in his arms. I found myself burying my face in his shirt, just trying to think about nothing but him. Still, even in that perfect moment when I didn't want anything more than to just enjoy his presence, I was still overwhelmed by that of the woman. I didn't even know her name, yet, somehow, she seemed to be plaguing my life.

* * *

The next day brought an even stranger surprise. I came into my dressing room to find my mother waiting for me. She immediately got up and embraced me. I hugged her back, but something about the whole meeting just made me feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, Sonny, I'm so sorry," she bawled, squeezing me tighter in her death grip.

"For what?" I asked, gathering enough strength to pull away.

I stared into her eyes as tears began to slide down her face. She swiped at them with her hands, but her efforts were futile. "I'm so so sorry," she said again. "I should have told you before, but I just wasn't sure how. I wasn't sure of what you would think."

"What I would think of what?" I asked, losing my patience.

My mom took in a deep, calming breath and stared at me. "Sweet heart, Marshall called me yesterday and told me what happened. I flew out as soon as I could. There's something I need to tell you that I needed to tell you in person," she explained. She wiped the remaining tears off of her now red face. I could easily see that her eyes were searching me, expecting me to respond. Instead, I waited for her to begin again. "That woman, the one who came to you yesterday, I'm sure you thought that she must have been crazy."

"Well, yeah," I mumbled. "That's kind of the impression you get when some lunatic claims to be your long lost mother."

"She's not a lunatic," my mother interrupted me, tears beginning to fall again. "She was telling the truth."

"What?" I nearly screamed. "Mom, this isn't a very funny joke. Tell whoever set you up to this that they have a really poor sense of humor."

She stared at me as if I was speaking a different language, and I just continued to tell myself no. No, she wasn't telling the truth. No, that woman was not my real mother. No, my mother hadn't lied to me all my life.

"Honey," she started again, "a long time ago, I found you on my doorstep. From that moment, I loved you more than anything. And I told myself that when the time came, I would tell you everything. Then the years came and went, and your were growing and you were so happy. It was then that I thought, hey, why did I even have to tell you? No matter what anyone else said, you're my daughter, and no one could ever change that." As she finished, the tears poured down harder. I wanted to hug her and tell her that it was okay. I wanted to say that I didn't care, that she was right. But that just wasn't the case. I did care, I cared that everything I had ever known was a lie. And she wasn't right. She had no right to hide that from me, and she had no right to expect me to be okay with everything as she told me about it now. I had every right to be mad. I had every right to scream and tell her that what she had done was wrong. But some how, I couldn't. All I could bring myself to do was stand and stare and hope desperately that everything had all just been a really bad dream.

* * *

My mother rented out a hotel room not far from the studio. She gave me the number and a key and told me to come and see her when I came around. When I came around? I wasn't sure what to think about that.

The days seemed to be getting longer as I tried to forgive her. It felt like a day with no sunset, an endless loop of nothing.

I spent the day in my dressing room ignoring everybody. I ignored Tawni's attempts to break in, and Marshall's hopes of talking to me, and Nico and Grady's stupid pranks to cheer me up, and Zora's failed attempts at spells to lighten the mood. The only person that I wanted to see, the only person I allowed to see me was Chad. And that's where we sat, Chad and me, just sitting together silently in my dressing room as I tried to let the world dissolve around us. But i knew that nothing of that sort would happen. Soon, sometime very soon, I would have to face the big bad world. But that didn't matter as long as I could have this moment alone with him.

* * *

The following day, I tried my hardest to pick myself up from the dirt. I tried to laugh at Grady's jokes and pretend that I cared about Tawni's new nail polish. But in reality, none of it mattered to me. I couldn't bring myself to visit my mother. I knew that she desperately wanted me to, but I just couldn't. Visiting her wouuld only result in more tears.

Sitting alone in my dressing room, my cell phone began to ring. I answered it with a simple, "hello."

"Sonny, darling," the voice on the other line responded. "I can't believe how hard it was to find your number. How are you?"

"Who is this?" I asked, angrily walking around the room as I tried to put pieces together in my mind.

"It's your mother, sweetie."

I hung the phone up, tossing it onto the floor and stomping on it. If there was anyone I didn't want to talk to, it was her.

**So, what did you guys think? I'm working on making the chapters longer, although I'm afraid that'll mean less update. Anyway, please review and I'll try to update as soon as possible. P.S. If anyone is a Twilight fan, don't watch the ECLIPSE movie that comes out in 2010. PLEEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 3: Sonny With A Chance Of Heartb

**Chapter 3: Sonny With a Chance of Heartbreak  
**

It was a cold Saturday morning in the California winter. Today was a day of break. After all that had happened just a mere week before, Marshall decided that I needed a chance to cool off and relax. There was nothing I had wanted more than to spend the day with Chad, but he, as much as it discouraged me, was on vacation and woudn't be back for a few more days.

When my mother showed up at the studio, I was sure what to say to her. Part of me just wanted to fall into her awaiting arms. I wanted her to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be alright. I wanted her to tell me that this was all just one of those terrible nightmares that I would awake screaming from when I was little. Than, another part of me wanted to push her away. She had no right to hold me and tell me that she loved me. All she had done was lie to me, and a part of me felt that I could never forgive her.

"Sonny," she said, taking my hands in hers which I didn't pull away from, "there's something that we really need to talk about."

I invited her into my dressing room, taking into a deep breath to brace myself for whatever she had planned to say. "What?"

"Sonny," my mom began, her eyes darting around the room as she seemed just as desperate as I was to find some form of distraction, "your real mother came to me last night. She said that she wanted to have you back, and that she wouldn't stop until she did."

"So?" I asked, pacing around as I tried to imagine where this conversation may be going. None of my theories ended well.

"So, she said that she would be willing to take this case to court," my mother finished. "When I took you in, I never got any of the paperwork done. Legally, you're still her daughter."

My heart crashed and I felt like I was about to pass out. I could barely pull a legitimate amount of oxygen into my lungs as my mind struggled to comprehend what she was saying. Everything I had ever known _had_ been nothing but lies. My mother wasn't even my adopted mother. She wasn't my mother at all.

"So, where does that leave us?" I asked, biting my lower lip to choke back the tears.

My mother's gaze remained locked on mine. I could see the salt-water droplits fill her eyes as she looked me up and down. Despite the amount of resentment that I had built up against her, seeing her like that, I found myself wrapping my arms around her, wanting nothing but to make her happy. She gripped me tightly, continuously whispering my name and how much she loved me. It was then that I knew, no matter what happened, neither of us would give up without a fight.

"Sweetheart," my mother began again, reluctantly pulling away from out embrace, "there may be another way."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, swiping at the droplets that began to pour from my eyes in a mirror fashion to hers.

"She told me, that if you were willing to go with her, she wouldn't bring the case to court," my mother explained.

"How is that a solution to anything?" I practically screamed, storming around the room as I tried to push away thoughts of my departure. "I would still have to go with her. I'd still be leaving you, and So Random, and everything!"

"Sonny, calm down. I wasn't finished."

I turned to look at her, taking in another deep breath as I desperately searched for some composure. My mother was staring at me yearningly, begging for me to listen, so I did.

"Sonny," she repeated my name as though it were a foreign word to her, "if you go with her, she says that she won't take the matter to court. She also said, that if you can't find happiness with her, she'll let you return home to me."

My mind seemed to have gone blank. I was watching my mother, listening to every word that flew from her mouth, but none of it seemed to register in my mind. "I don't understand."

My mother wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Sweetheart, think of it almost like a foreign exchange project," she explained. "If you go with her for a couple of weeks, all you'll have to do is say the word when, and she'll let you come home."

"But, I don't want to go with her!" I shrieked, wondering why she was even suggesting something so absolutely absurd. "You're telling me to go with some complete stranger!"

"I know how it sounds, Sonny. I had to tell myself repeatedly before I could even believe it myself," she replied, cradling my face in her clammy hands. "But this is the only way. If she brings the case to court, I won't stand a chance of keeping you. This way, she'll comply and allow you to stay with me. It's the only way," she repeated again.

After a moment of complete confusion, I found myself nodding my head obediently. If this was the only way, we would take it. I tried to telll myself, we weren't giving in. This was only the beginning.

* * *


	5. Chapter 4: Sonday With Silvia

**Chapter 4: Sonday with Silvia  
**

On Sunday morning, I felt like I was caught in a terrible nightmare when 'my mother' arrived at the studio, waiting for me to pack my bags. When my mom had told me that I would have to leave, I hadn't considered the fact that it might be so soon. I hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye.

Tawni helped me pack, telling me that most of my clothes weren't worth bringing anyways. "New York is like the shopping capital of America," Tawni had said, while holding up my favorite pair of old blue jeans. "Do you really think they want to see you in these rags?"

Instead of defending my clothes, I found myself thinking about how much I would miss her insults. I thought about how much I would miss her talks about herself, how much I would miss the laughs, the fights, everything. Tawni didn't seem to notice my mood. Instead, she simply continued to complain about each outfit that she pulled out of my closet with the few exceptions of a pink blouse, a pair of heels, a belt, and a mini skirt that she absentmindedly tossed into my still half-empty suitcase. Part of me wanted to reach into the bag and toss everything out. Maybe than I would have a few more moments with my friend. However, my mom's voice continued to echo in my head, and I knew that she was right. The only way to win was to give in.

"Here," Tawni said, reaching into her own closet and handing me a nice red dress and a white fur sweater. "Trust me when I say that you need these much more than I do," she said, trying to laugh it off but slightly choking on her words. She folded them up and placed them gently in my suitcase as if they were a newborn baby.

"Why are you giving me this?" I asked, staring up at Tawni.

Her superior look faded for a moment before she replaced it brightly back on her face. "Well, the last thing we need is for you to go to New York and completely disgrace So Random by wearing what you usually consider to be clothes," she said, waving her hand in the air to say that it was no big deal. "And maybe it would be nice for you to have something to remember me by," she mumbled, turning away and shielding her face from my view.

"Oh, Tawni!" I practically screamed, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Sonny," Tawni replied, "please get off of me."

I pulled away, smiling at her. "You know I'll never forget you!"

"You'd better not," Tawni replied. "Forgetting me would mean forgetting all the fashion advice that I've given you. The last thing we need is you buying more rags."

I wanted to be insulted, just like before. I wanted to complain and tell her that I would be happy to get away from her snottiness, but I knew that I wouldn't. There was nothing that I wanted more than to tell her to keep the dress and sweater because I wouldn't be moving to New York. But I would. Today, I would be saying goodbye to everything that had meant the most to me in the last couple of months. In a few hours, I would be on a plane to a new life.

* * *

The hardest part of the whole thing was trying to say goodbye to my mom. As we stared each other in the face, we both found ourselves be at a complete loss for words. Instead, she simply pulled me into her arms and held me as I softly cried onto her shoulder. Although I knew that she was trying to be strong, the whole time I could feel gentle drops falling into my hair.

Silvia, the woman who insisted that I call her mom, ushered me out of the room before I truly felt ready to say goodbye. Of course, I knew that I would never be ready to say goodbye.

As we slid into the back of a cab, Silvia launched into a story of how much she missed me. She explained that she had been completely devastated after she gave me up, but she knew that at sixteen, she was nowhere near ready to have a kid. She talked about her her boyfriend, my father, had left her, and how her parents wanted nothing to do with her if she decided to keep me. That was what told her that she had to give me to a good family that would be able to afford me and take care of me. I wanted to yell at her and tell her that that was just a bunch of bull, but I didn't want to piss her off. If I was going to be stuck with her, I would rather her treat me fairly because she liked me.

I was relieved to find that our seats were nowhere near each other on the plane. While she sat near the front with some girls in bikini's, I sat next to an Asian man with a computer, and a girl who appeared to be about twelve. I lay back in my seat, closing my eyes and trying to imagine myself back with my friends, filming another sketch for So Random.

"You look upset. What's the matter?" the girl asked, her poorly cut black hair falling over her face. She swept it back with a brush of her hand, her eyes intent on me.

"It's a long story," I explained.

The girl gasped, her blue eyes practically bulging out of her head. "You're Sonny Monroe from So Random!" she practically screamed, drawing the attention of the other passengers. "I love the Check It Out Girls sketch!"

"Thanks," I mumbled, half-heartedly trying to get her to lower her voice.

"Why are you going to New York?" she questioned, now beaming with a newfound excitement.

"It's a really long story," I repeated. "Basically, I'm about to spend some time with family that I hadn't really known I had."

"Wow, sounds harsh," the girl replied, although I had the feeling that she had no clue what I was feeling. "Anyway, my name's Megan. I'm sure you'll like New York. The people aren't always very friendly, but the shopping is nice, and there are a lot of places to see."

"Thanks," I mumbled, although those things were the least of my worries. I wondered what Tawni was doing right now. I wondered if any of my friends might be thinking about me.

"Is there a way that I might be able to be part of the So Random audience?" Megan asked, still smiling brightly at me. "Oh, there's nothing I would want more."

I looked at her, managing to muster up a smile. "I'll try," I told her. The same way I would try to get out of her as fast as I could.


	6. Chapter 5: If I Could Fall Into The Sky

**A/N: I've had a bunch of people add me to their favorites and alerts list and I appreciate it, but I would despeartely appreciate it if you would also leave me a review to tell me exactly how you felt about the story and the writing because I really to enjoy constructive criticism. Thanx.**

**Chapter 5: If I Could Fall Into The Sky  
**

By the time the plane landed in the New York City airport, Megan had given me her phone number and life story. I did appreciate having someone to talk to, but it would have been nice to have some time to think, which her nonstop conversing didn't allow.

Silvia lead me to the baggage claim, droning on about how much she was certain that I would love New York. I smiled and nodded, hoping that these simple gestures would satisfy her. She didn't seem notice that everything I did was a facade. Instead, she smiled at me, continuing with how much fun we would have together and how much I would be thankful that she took me to my real home. That part made me want to cry, but as she turned to smile at me, I managed to bite back the tears.

Once we had our luggage in tow, Silvia lead me to the front of the airport where she explained her boyfriend would be picking us up and taking up back to her condo. I wasn't exactly excited about meeting whatever man Silvia had found to fill that empty hole in her life, but she enthusiastically went on about how great he was and how he would do anything for her.

"Oh, there he is now!" she said, waving her left arm in the air to attract his atttention. I looked off in the direction that she was waving to find a man of at least forty years approaching us. He had a receding hair line that was now fading to gray although his original black hair was still visible. He had laugh lines on his face, and even though it was clear that he had been very muscular at some point in his life, it was also obvious that he had given up the gym for a while now. He wasn't necessarily fat, but he wasn't very fit either, and the chubbiness looked out of place on his large but not quite broad body.

"Silvia, baby, I've missed you," he said, wrapping Silvia into a tight embrace. His voice was husky from what sounded like years of smoking, and now that he was close, I could catch a whiff of what smelled like smoke mixed with whisky. 'Does she really trust him to drive us back,' I wondered to myself. As he pulled away from his girlfriend, I also noticed that it had been a while since he had shaved, and gray stubble was growing on his chin. His eyes were red and underscored with gray lines like he was hungover.

"Sonny, sweetie," Silvia said, redirecting her attention to me, "this is Jay, my boyfriend."

"Hello, Sonny," he said, taking my hand between his meaty, sweaty, palms.

"Hi," I mumbled, fighting the instinct to jerk my hand away from him. Instead, as unnoticeably as I could, I retrieved my hand once he let go and gently rupped them against my pants.

"Well," Silvia interrupted the strange stair that Jay had directed at me, "we should get going. I don't want Skylar to be home alone to long."

As Jay took our bags and led us out to his black Sedan, I began wondering just how many pets Silvia had. I loved animals, but the last thing I wanted was to be trapped with a bunch of animals that didn't love me. As my mind began to wander over what to expect, it also struggled to block out the picture of Jay and Silvia snuggling together. I was usually okay with some affection, but with the noises that they made, I wanted to rip my hair out. They didn't exactly make a cute couple with him being at least a decade older than her. (I didn't think he would exactly look cute with anyone, but that was beside the point.)

I managed to hold my breath and keep myself from going crazy as the ride reached a painfully slow end. Silvia paid the cab driver and Jay motioned for me to follow him into the condo. The first impression of the inside of the place was that even if it was small, it was cozy. I assumed that Jay lived with her, and I could see that along with the kitchen connected to the living room, there was also a small bathroom and two bedrooms. The living room and kitchen were pretty much the type that you would expect to see at anyonoe's house. There was a couch, a loveseat, a coffee table, a rug, a lamp, and in the kitchen, a fridge, a stove, some countertops, a microwave, and some cabinets.

"Welcome to our humble abode," Jay said, placing our suitcases by the door. Seconds later, Silvia hurried inside, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

"Well, Sonny, we'll have to work out sleeping arrangements, but I'm sure you can just have the bedroom," Silvia said, smiling brightly at me. "SKYLAR!" she called, stepping inside and taking off her shoes. She turned her attention back to me and motioned for me to do the same. "It helps to keep the floors from getting too dirty," she explained with another over cheery smile.

I slipped out of my shoes to please her before taking another glance around. It wasn't exactly a place where you could get lost very easily. I kept that in mind in case Jay tried to use that as an excuse to peek at me in the bathroom. That creepy grin plastered on his face scaring the living daylights out of me.

"There you are!" Silvia shrieked. I turned to see what had caught her attention to find a boy who appeared to be about seven or eight years old with dark brown hair that fell around his face and light green eyes. He wore a too big t-shirt and a pair of worn out jeans, but he seemed perfectly content with his appearance. "Sonny," Silvia said, her gaze landing on me, "this is Skylar."

I looked the kid over again. He had freckles across his nose that were almost invisible, partly because of a bad sunburn, and partly because of the poor lighting. His face lit up when his eyes landed on me. "You're Sonny Monroe!" he nearly shouted.

"Skylar, what did I tell you?" Silvia asked, absentmindedly running a hand through the boy's untidy hair. A hand which her shook off seeming very annoyed. "She's your sister."

I found myself staring at Skylar again, this time trying to place the word brother with his picture. Of course, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. He wasn't my brother because _Silvia_ wasn't my mother. Instead, she was simply a woman whose rules I would have to follow if I ever wanted to get home. Still, the smile on his face as he continued to look me over forced a smile onto mine as well.

"Hi Skylar," I mumbled.


	7. Chapter 6: Underneath it All the Sky Is

**Chapter 6: Underneath it All the Sky is Blue  
**

Skylar stared at me eagerly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Silvia silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. "Skylar, do you mind letting Sonny have your room?" she asked, speaking the words more as a command than an actual question.

"But, it's _my_ room," he replied with the average eight-year-old attitude.

"And Sonny is our guest," Jay said, his face not looking very pleased. "A good host offers up what he has for a guest."

Skylar looked down at his toes, seeming to want to be anywhere but the room that he had appeared happy to be in moments previous. He reluctantly nodded his head.

"Thank you, Skylar," Silvia said, turning to face me. "You can move your stuff into Skylar's room. Just allow him a little while to clean up."

Skylar practically dragged his feet against the linoleum floor as he made his way back to his room. It was pretty obvious that having to give it up, and then having to clean it wasn't exactly the highlight of his day.

"Silvia, I'm really okay with just sleeping on the couch," I explained.

"Nonsense!" Silvia shrieked. "No guest of mine will be sleeping on the couch," she said, picking up her suitcase and heading for her room. she stopped halfway there and turned to face me. "And Sonny, please, call me Mom."

* * *

Skylar's room was a pretty decent size, especially compared to the size of the home in the first place. There was only one window, but it was large enough to fill the room with a bright ray of sunshine once it was opened. There was a twin sized bed pushed off to the side and two dressers. There was a bookshelf overflowing with comic books and magazines, and the closet looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days. Basically, it wasn't exactly the choice of scenery that I would have chosen.

'Just get over it and suck it up, Sonny,' I told myself. 'This is where you're going to be living for a while, and you might as well get used to it.'

* * *

The next morning, Silvia insisted that she take me shopping. I declined, telling her that I had all that I needed, but she persisted saying, "I've never seen a girl turn down a shopping spree before. Get dressed, this will give us some time to bond."

Clearly she didn't realize that the last thing I wanted was to spend time 'bonding' with her, but to hide my aggravation, I simply nodded and retreated back into Skylar's room to change. I found myself passing over Tawni's gift. Part of me wanted nothing more than to wear it, but another part of me said that what she had given me was special and therefore needed to be saved for a special occasion.

I found myself slipping in to one of my old outfits that Tawni would have criticized me for wearing. Reminding myself that Tawni wasn't here, I followed Silvia out to the awaiting cab.

Silvia dragged me from store to store that morning. She continued to pick random articles of clothing off of the shelves and piled them into my arms. Besides grabbing everything in sight, I'm pretty sure that I never once saw her check a price tag. After forcing me into a dressing room to try on about thirty shirts, twelve skirts, three pairs of jeans, five sweaters, ten pairs of shorts, and seven dresses, she finally decided to take me to lunch at a small diner on the side of town.

The service was pretty quick seeing as how we were the only people there except for an elderly couple that spent the entire visit whispering things to each other. Silvia smiled at me over her cob salad and dove into the other stores that she wanted to take me to and all of the other things that she was sure I would love to do in New York. I took a bite of my cheeseburger and nodded, not sure that I could choke out a response that wouldn't upset her.

The next thing she did was take me shoe shopping. She brought me into quite a few expensive retailers, grabbing anything ranging from seven-inch heels to Nike sneakers. She pretty much wiped the shelves clean, forcing me to accept any pair that fit. I nodded and smiled even though I only found a few pairs to be anything near worth the price that the retailers were asking for.

Of course, feeling bad about making me move all the way to New York (or so she said, but I didn't exactly believe her since she was smiling the whole time), Silvia also brought me into the apple store to buy me the new Iphone and a brand new laptop.

When we arrived back at her condo, I wasn't sure what to say. I thanked her and went to take my bags to Skylar's room, although one simple look at the completely overflowing taxi trunk and backseat would tell me that there was no way that I would be able to find a place to put all of my stuff.

"Simple," Silvia said when I explained my dilema to her, "we'll simply have to get rid of your old stuff."

I felt miserable as we spent the rest of the day going through all of the clothes that I had brought with me and putting them into a large garbage bag to donate to poor children. It wasn't that i had a problem with chairity work, but all of these things, as simple as they may be, all meant a lot to me. They all held stories in them and memories that I felt I might never be able to recapture.

It was nearing midnight that I saw quietly on Skylar's bed. I could hear Jay snoring in the other room, and I wondered how these people managed to deal with that every night. I turned the laptop on and went on to AIM. I had almost completely forgotten about the time change, so when I saw that Chad was on, I felt tears of relief flooding my eyes.

I turned the camera on and waited until I could see him on my screen. "Chad!" I practically shrieked, only managing to lower my voice when I thought about how mad Jay would be if I woke him up. I knew that I was only looking at him through a computer screen, but it still felt like an amazing reuinion. "I miss you."

"Who wouldn't?" Chad replied, smiling at me. "Yeah, I miss you too. When are you coming back?"

I sighed, trying not to think about how long I would be forced to stay here. "I really don't know. I'm not sure how long Silvia's gonna force me to stay before finally releasing me from her clutches. I'm sure if Tawni was here she'd be having a load of fun, but nonstop shopping for useless items just isn't my thing."

"I know," Chad mumbled. "If it makes you feel any better, So Random pretty much sucks without you."

"That doesn't really make me feel better," I mumbled, turning my face away from the screen to hide the tears that threatened to fall again. "I don't want my friends to have to suffer just because I have to."

Chad laughed lightly. "Sonny, Sonny, Sonny, always thinking about everyone else."

I redirected my face towards the screen again, and seeing his face, as always, made me smile. "Any chance of you visiting me here in New York?" I asked, trying to hide the desperation from my voice.

"Can't. We've basically been filming over time over here and I can't really pull myself away," Chad said.

"Oh," I mumbled, not even bothing to conceal my disappointment.

"Sonny," he whispered, catching my attention. "I'm sorry. I would come if I could."

"I know."

"I'll see you when you come back."

I could only bring myself to nod pathetically.

A loud banging came from the door along with, "Sonny, who are you talking to?"

I got up from the bed and approached the door, yanking it open so hard that I could see Skylar wince when he saw my face. "I'm talking to my boyfriend," I replied angrily. I wasn't really sure why I was being mean to Skylar since he hadn't done anything to me. When it came down to being honest, I think it was mostly because he was Silvia's son, and I couldn't bring myself to like her.

"Well, can you stop being so loud? I'm trying to sleep and it's hard enough on that lumpy couch," Skylar stated, sounding just as irritated as I did. He stomped away without looking back.

I was tempted to slam the door, but remember Jay in the next room sleeping, I simply sighed heavily as I let it swing closed. I sat back at the computer to find Chad looking expectantly at me. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Apparently it was my brother," I said. Seeing the confused look on his face, I simply responded with, "It's a long story. I'll explain later."

"Good," Chad said. "Look, Sonny, I have to go, but I'll be back on later, alright?"

I almost cried as I said goodbye.

* * *

Chad kept his promise and he was back on an hour later. I stayed up until four a.m. simply watching him watching me. I told him all about the feelings that I had been trying to hide since the moment I first met Silvia. He told me all about my friends from So Random. He talked about the sketches that they had been doing and the horrible prank that Nico and Grady had pulled that had almost gotten them completely kicked off the show.

Thinking only of Chad when I went to sleep, I knew that I would have peaceful dreams, and at least this time, I wasn't disappointed.

Silvia woke me up at ten a.m. with a loud knock and the smell of breakfast. When I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and into the kitchen, it was to find Silvia slaving over what smelled like a delicious breakfast, and Skylar sitting at the table, practically playing drums with his silverware. I sat down across from him and poured myself a glass of orange juice. The whole time, Skylar's eyes seemed to be glued on my every movement.

Jay walked into the room yawning loudly and smelling of stale liquor. From the look on Skylar's face, it was quite plain that he had seen Jay drinking last night, and it wasn't any small shot either.

"Hungry?" Silvia asked, setting a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, hashbrowns, and pancakes in front of me. I nodded, obediently picking up my silverware and cutting into a pancake.

Skylar sat impatiently tapping the table as Silvia placed a plate in front of him. "I'm still her favorite you know," he said once Silvia had retreatecd back to the stove. His voice sounded insecure, and part of me wanted to tell him that it was obvious that his mother loved him.

Instead, I simply took a bite of my eggs and mumbled a simple, "I know."

Jay peered over at us over his coffee mug and his eyes settled on Skylar. I wasn't sure what, but I knew that he was imagining something that couldn't possibly be good. Skylar shivered and I couldn't help but wonder what Jay may have done to him. I shook the thought off. There was no way that Silvia would date somebody who hurt her son. Of course, the feeling of dread never seemed to go away as I sat at the table, waiting for breakfast to end.

**A/N: I am soooo sorry about the wait for this chapter. My family has shown up from Hawaii and my mother has been dragging me around like crazy. Add that to the fact that Monday is my first day of school and I don't exactly have a lot of free time. I'm sorry to say that the following chapters may take a while to get up since once school starts I will be incredibly busy again. Either way, I tried making this chapter quite a bit longer than the others and I hope that this can make up for the wait. Thanx guys and dont forget to review. ;D**


	8. Chapter 7: A Couple Sons Away

**Chapter 7: A Couple Sons Away  
**

Chad video chatted with me again that day. We sat by our computers speaking whatever was on our minds until Silvia told me that I needed to get some fresh air and forced us to cease our chat.

Silvia forced me into a cab along with Skylar to take us to a nearby park. She began going on about how we were siblings and that it was about time that we got to know each other. The whole time, Skylar simply texted a friend on his cell phone. It was pretty apparent to me that he was doing whatever he could to ignore his mother, but Silvia seemed completely oblivious.

When we arrived at the park, Skylar and I walked over to the swing set together to make it look like we were actually hanging out. I sat on one and allowed my body to sway back and forth while he simply sat in the sand near another, still talking to someone through a text message.

"So, what do you do for fun?" I asked him, hoping to start up a conversation.

Skylar shrugged, glancing around the park in a desperate attempt to ignore me while he awaited his friend's response. His behavior was completely unlike the reaction I had seen when I had first walked into Silvia's condo, and I wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that he had suddenly decided that he didn't like me.

"Am I gonna get a chance to meet your friend?" I asked, hoping to capture his attention and succeeding.

He practically glared at me for a moment before turning his head away and mumbling, "God, I hope not."

My attempts basically ended there, finding no other ways to draw his attention from his cell phone buddy. I wasn't sure why it bothered me that he didn't care to talk to me, but it really did. I understood that he didn't really see me as a sister since I didn't think I would ever been able to see him as my brother, but I had still hoped that he would have been at least a little interested in getting to know his new house guest. Clearly, I had been terribly mistaken.

I found myself sitting silently, watching the boy as he continued to find anything to draw his attention away from me. "So, why do you hate me?" I asked, not even realizing what I was going to say until it slipped out of my lips.

Skylar looked at me for a moment before turning back to his phone. "Trust me, if I hated you, you wouldn't be here anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. Strange pictures of torture instruments streaming from his open closet door involuntarily popping into my head.

He stood up and glared at me. "It just so happens that _my_ mom actually cares what I think."

Oh. "Jealous are we?" I asked, watching as his defenses fell for a moment before he replaced them. "And it just so happens that I already have a mom, and I'm not interested in taking yours."

Skylar sat down again, mumbling "Good," while opening his phone to check his new message.

I found myself surrounded by silence again. Or, at least, it felt like I was surrounded by silence. Off in the distance, I could make out the sounds of two kids running through the playground area, screaming and laughing. I wondered if Skylar, this seemingly mature kid, ever did things like that with his friends. Everything he did seemed to be completely controlled, as if he were in the military and was afraid of stepping out of line. I wondered if this had something to do with Jay.

"So, what do you have against your mom's boyfriend?" I asked.

Skylar stiffened, took a deap breath, and pretended like nothing had happened. "What makes you think I have anything against him?" he asked. "He seems to make her pretty happy." Although his voice stayed leveled, it was pretty clear to me that he was lying through his teeth. Of course, I could tell that this wasn't going to be the best way to get answers out of him, so I let the conversation drop. If he wanted to talk to anybody about this, it definately wasn't his long lost sister.

* * *

Silvia took us out to lunch afterward. She insisted that I choose an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert, saying that it was the only way she would learn what I like to eat. I could practically feel myself gain thirty pounds as I tried to force the last of the food down my throat. The whole time, Skylar stared at me with envy plain on his face.

When we returned to Silvia's condo, Jay sat in the living room watching a football game. Skylar retreated to his room, hoping to find some refuge before Silvia forced him back onto the couch so I could go to sleep.

"Have fun?" Jay asked, not even half-interested in the way Silvia responded as his mind was completely obsorbed by the constantly changing scoreboard.

"I think we had a good time. Didn't we Sonny?" Silvia asked, catching me off guard.

I nodded my head, torn between my want to leave the room and my fear of being rude.

"Hopefully, tomorrow, we can _all_ do something together. Right Jay?" Silvia asked.

"Whatever you say," Jay replied, still staring at the screen.

Silvia, clearly giving up hope of a conversation, headed for her bedroom, motioning for me to follow. I walked behind her, wondering why she wanted me to come with her. If she planned to show me an old photo album, I was completely abandoning the whole idea.

Silvia placed her purse on a dresser near the entrance of her bedroom and sighed. "I know that Skylar can be very difficult to get along with, but I appreciate your attempt. He doesn't have a lot of friends, and I think he wants to keep it that way," she replied. "I've never met a more anti-social person in my life."

I couldn't believe that Silvia actually felt that way about her own son, but I managed to nod, keeping my opinion to myself.

"He can also be incredibly selfish and stubborn, so please don't take offense if he becomes inexcusably rude to you. It's nothing personal. He's horrible to just about everybody," Silvia continued, emptying the contents from her purse.

"How can you say that about your son?" I asked, unable to contain the outburst. After seeing how terrified Skylar seemed to be of Jay, I didn't want to believe that Silvia allowed Jay to hurt her son and didn't even care what happened to him.

Silvia turned to look at me, her face showing obvious embarassment. "I'm sorry if I sound harsh. I don't mean it that way," Silvia said, her facial expression neutral once more as she returned to the task at hand. "I love Skylar, I really do. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that sometimes I wish he would have a better attitude about things. There are some things that you just need to accept and move on, and I'm afraid he'll never be able to do just that."

I wasn't sure what she was trying to hide behind those words, but it was pretty clear that there was something else hidden underneath all of that. Instead, I simply said, "I think he's jealous of all the time you're spending on me. I think he feels left out."

"Oh, that's ridiculous," Silvia said, waving off the idea with a wave of her hand. "He knows I love him. I'm sure he's just a little uncomfortable with having somebody new around."

As much as I wanted to push the subject, and anything to get Skylar to stop hating me and Silvia to leave me alone was definately an awe inspiring idea, I let the subject drop. As unhealthy as it was, I knew that Silvia was trying to convince herself that it wasn't true. Silvia was one of those people that truly believed if they said something didn't exist, than it wouldn't exist. I didn't think it was right, but I didn't want to interrupt her blissful ignorance and make her mad at me as well. I figured it would be easier to let her do what she wanted. After all, I would be leaving soon. It was just a couple suns away.

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but now that school is starting I'm affraid I'll only be able to update on the weekends. (I'll try to get some rare weekday updates in, but those probably won't happen often.) Anyway, thank you everyone who reviewed and keep up the good work. :D As for those of you who haven't, please just leave a simple _Nice Job_ or _This Sucks_ so I can have an idea of what you think. Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll be your best friend. :D Anyway, please review and the next chapter should be up within the next 7 days. **


	9. Chapter 8: The Sky Could Fall Tonight

**Chapter 8: The Sky Could Fall Tonight  
**

I found myself zoning out through the day, and only finding any form of comfort when I talked to Chad. I wanted nothing more than to fly back right now and see him again, but I knew that there was no way that that would happen. Skylar clearly wanted nothing more than for me to keep my distance, and I found it far to easy to oblige to his wishes. Besides the talk that I had had with Silvia previously, I didn't bring Skylar up again. Instead, my withdrawn attitude seemed to make me the center of attention. On a few occasion, late at night, I could hear Silvia in the living room fighting with Jay. Sometimes it was about bills, or traffic, or work, or whatever. The topic never mattered because within minutes, they always mentioned my name.

It didn't matter if it had something to do with space, the extra money put in for food, the time she wanted to spend with me, or the fact that she was afraid I was mad at her, no matter what conversation began, I couldn't help but feel completely uncomfortable.

It was a Saturday night that Silvia had popped into my room. "Jay and I were thinking about going to dinner. Could you babysit Skylar?"

"I-I don't know," I stammered. "I mean, I-I don't think he likes me very much." Just the thought of spending hours with nobody in the house except for Skylar made me want to puke.

"Than this will be a great opportunity for you two to bond a little more," Silvia replied, her voice incredibly cheery. She sighed for a moment and turned her head away. "Its been a while since Jay and I were able to spend some quality time together. Sonny, please do this for me. It'll only be for a couple of hours and I'll pay you."

I couldn't help thinking, 'why in the world would you want to spend time with that creep,' but I simply nodded my head. The money wasn't really important, but the last thing I needed was for Silvia to burst into tears and make me console her. Or even worse, she could decide to keep me here.

"Oh thank you Sonny," Silvia said embracing me. "I'll talk to Skylar. I promise you, he'll behave."

* * *

It was obvious that this night meant a lot to Silvia. She had made dinner reservations at the most expensive Italian restaurant in the city. She also decided to curl her brown hair into an almost Marilyn Monroe style, wear a little red dress that I had never seen a mother find fitting, and decorate her face with her most expensive make-up. Seeing the joy on her face as she finished applying her lipstick, I tried my best to bite back my discomfort about baby sitting. If this night really mean that much to her, I had no right to ruin it.

Silvia and Jay took off at 6:30. Silvia promised me that they would be back by 9:00 o'clock, and reminded me about emergency contact numbers. I assured her that everything would be alright before sinking down onto the couch with my laptop.

Skylar had retreated to his room, and something told me that he wouldn't be coming out anytime soon. Besides the fact that he would do just about anything to avoid me, it was pretty obvious that he really missed spending time in his own bedroom.

I found myself channel surfing, desperately searching for anything to occupy my time. My eyes continued to glance back at the clock in anticipation for Silvia and Jay to return. 6:45... 7:00... 7:03...7:14... 7:22

"I'm hungry," Skylar said, nearly giving me a heart attack as he appeared in front of the television screen.

"So, go eat something," I replied, once again flipping desperately through the channels.

Skylar walked around to the back of the T.V. and pulled the plug. "I _said_ I'm hungry."

"So what do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

"Make me something to eat, duh," he replied, plopping down on the sofa next to me. "I like steak."

"Well, I'm afraid today just isn't your day," I said, getting up to plug the T.V. in again. "I don't cook. Call your mom and ask her to bring something home for you."

"I'm not waiting two hours to eat something that I can eat in two minutes if you get off your lazy ass, open the fridge, and cook me a damn meal," Skylar said, glaring at me.

"You've got quite the filthy mouth for an eight-year-old," I remarked.

"And you've got quite slow limbs for a fifteen-year-old," Skylar replied. "Is it really that hard to..." His sentence broke off into a fit of coughing.

"Are you sick?" I asked.

Skylar's eyes began to water as her gasped for a breath. This attempt lead to more coughing. I sat down next to him and began patting his back. "What's wrong?"

"A..." Skylar choked. He raised his arm and pointed towards his bedroom. "In...hale..."

"What?" I asked. My heartbeat quickened as his face began to turn red.

"Dress..." Skylar choked again, desperately fighting to take another breath. "Dresser."

I raced into Skylar's room and over to the dresser. I opened drawer after drawer as I searched for whatever he had been asking for. Opening the bottom drawer, I found a small white object pushed into the corner; an inhaler. I picked it up and rushed back out into the living room where Skylar continued to choke, his face turning purple. I handed him the inhaler and waited as he finally managed to take in a breath. Within a few moments, his breathing returned to normal and I gave out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Skylar nodded, his eyes falling to the floor.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

He scooted as far away from me as the couch would allow. "I have asthma," he mumbled, still avoiding my gaze.

"You could have warned me about that," I said, managing to keep my voice in check as opposed to yelling at him like I really wanted to.

"I haven't had an attack in almost a year. I didn't think it would happen again," he mumbled. He rolled the inhaler around in his hands, trying to occupy himself so he could pretend I wasn't there.

"Do you want me to call your mom?" I asked.

"No!" he said, too immediately for me to not be concerned. "I mean, I'm fine. There's no reason for you to worry her."

It was hard for me to believe that the incredibly rude adolescent I had just been dealing with could so easily change into this modest little boy. Either way, I simply nodded figuring that it would be easier this way than for me to bother fighting with him over it. I could tell Silvia once she got back.

"I'm going to bed," Skylar said, getting up from the couch and heading to his room.

* * *

Part of me had expected Skylar to come running out of his room at any minute and start some magnificent ruckus. However, he spent the rest of the night in his room, so I could only assume that he had gone to sleep when he said that he was.

Silvia and Jay returned home just shy of nine o'clock. I imagined Silvia rushing Jay out of the restaurant and forcing him to break a few traffic laws to get home when she promised me she would. Silvia's face looked absolutely glowing, so I could only assume that she had had a wonderful night. Now it was my turn to spoil it.

"Silvia," I started, following her into the kitchen as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Yes, honey?"

I winced, but managed to quickly cover it up. "I don't want you to worry, but Skylar had an asthma attack tonight."

Silvia dropped the glass onto the floor. It shattered immediately, sprinkling glass around our feet. Jay was in the room in a second carrying a broom and a dustpan. "Is he alright?" Silvia asked, looking like she was about to have a heart attack.

"He's fine," I replied. "He went to bed."

Silvia let out a sigh of relief. "Well, good." She took in another breath and placed her usual smile back on her face. "Sonny, you should probably wake him up so you can have the bed."

"Oh, I really don't mind taking the couch," I replied.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jay said, emptying to dustpan full of glass into the trash can. "Skylar can learn to share a little bit."

"He seemed really tired," I continued my persisting. "We should just let him sleep. I'll be comfortable on the couch."

Jay tossed the dustpan onto the counter with a grunt and exited the kitchen. A nervous look past over Silvia's face for a moment, but once she saw that my gaze was fixed on her, she wiped it off her face and replaced it with that annoying smile.

"Let go of me!" Skylar shouted.

Silvia and I walked into the living room to find Jay dragging Skylar out of his room by his hair. "You know you're supposed to be sleeping on the couch."

"I fell asleep in _my_ bedroom!" Skylar shrieked. "So sue me."

Jay pushed skylar to the floor near the couch. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry," Skylar pleaded.

Jay backhanded Skylar across the mouth before grunting and retreating to his bedroom. Skylar wiped the blood away from his split lip with his Nickelback t-shirt.

I found myself staring at Silvia wondering how she would respond.

"Well," Silvia said, quickly overcoming a moment of shock and returning to her cheeriness. "Now that that problem is settled, we can all get to bed." I expected her to at the very least be upset that her boyfriend and slapped her son. Instead, she simply continued to smile as she walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

"Are you alright?" I asked Skylar, part of me wanting to reach down and help him.

"Leave me alone," he sobbed, tears streaming down his face.

Not knowing how to console him, I decided that all I could do was follow his wishes.

* * *

The next morning, Jay left the condo early to go run some errands. As soon as I had woken up, Skylar had retreated to his bedroom. I wasn't sure if he was trying to get away from me or everyone else. Silvia made breakfast, although she only made enough for her and me. I wondered if that was because she knew Skylar wouldn't be willing to leave the safety of his room, or if she didn't care enough to make him anything. I found that hard to believe with how worried she had seemed when she had heard that he had had an attack. But then again, she didn't even care when she saw her boyfriend slap him across the face.

"Silvia," I began, hoping that she wouldn't strike out at me once this conversation was over, "why did you let Jay hit Skylar?"

Silvia looked at me, unsure of how to respond. "Skylar knows better than to talk back."

"So you just let Jay hit him for saying a couple of bad words?" I asked, slightly relieved that neither she nor Jay had been home when Skylar had been cursing at me.

"Jay does have a different method of discipline than I had originally planned to use with Skylar, but whatever's effective, I guess," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Don't you even care about how this is affecting your son?" I asked, wanting to scream it at her.

"Skylar's learning manners, that's what matters," Silvia replied. The tone of her voice stated that the conversation was over. I wanted to slap _her_ across the face.

**I'm sorry it took so long to update, and I'm very sorry that the updates are coming slower now, but I did manage to make this chapter longer than any other chapter that I've written. YAY. Anyway, thank you all of you that have stayed loyal to my story and please keep reviewing because reviews keep me writing. **


	10. Chapter 9: The Sky Could Fall Tonight

**Before I start the chapter I would like to begin with a little author's note. I know these things are super annoying because they're long and all you really want to do is read the story. And now I'm just making this note that could have been like ten words even worse by babbling on about how annoying I'm making it. If I had just shut up and gotten to the point from the very beginning, this note could have been short and unannoying, but then again, thats just not my style. Anyway, thank you everyone who has reviewed and allowed me to pass_ 50_ reviews. YAY. thats more than halfway to my lifelong dream of 100 reviews for a story. MORE YAY. Anyway, once again I just want to say thanks, please keep reviewing, and heres the rest of the story which I know you've been long awaiting since I've been being annoying and writing this freakishly long author's note that could have been short if I had just cut to the point instead of....  
**

**Chapter 9: The Sky Could Fall Tonight Part 2  
**

I tried my best to avoid Silvia, which with Skylar being in his room, meant video chatting with Chad on the toilet seat. Still, the long talks that I had always looked forward to had lost some of their appeal. I wanted to tell Chad everything, but then, trying to talk about Skylar just felt wrong.

"Sonny," Silvia called, banging on the bathroom door. "You really should come out of there. It's not healthy to stay locked in the bathroom, and its even more unhealthy for all of us to hold it in this long."

My next escape plan had been to sit on the porch for a while, but that didn't work to well since it had rained during the night, and every time a car tried to drive by, i would be drenched in water. From there, I figured that the best thing for me to do would be to try to talk to Skylar.

I knocked on his bedroom door a couple of times, waiting for an answer. I didn't really expect one, but then, I didn't really have anything better to do. It surprised me when the door opened and Skylar stared at me, actually _not_ looking annoyed. "What?" he asked.

"Do you mind if I come in?" I asked. "I'm trying to avoid your mother."

"Join the club," he mumbled, pushing the door open wider so I could enter. The bed was filled with magazines and posters. The floor was littered with clothes, and his dresser had some nicks in it that I hadn't seen before. Either he was skilled at being incredibly messy within a couple of hours, or he had had an extreme fit and found it easier to simply throw things around.

Skylar closed the door and returned to reading magazines on his bed, pretty much succeeding at his attempt to ignore me. he didn't seem to mind as I walked around the room, looking at the things on his dresser and bookshelf. I picked up a magazine that caught my eye. On the cover was the cast of Mackenzie Falls. "Do you watch this show?" I asked, showing him the magazine.

Skylar shrugged. "I used to. It's a little over-the-top and hard to keep up with," he mumbled, ripping a page out of the magazine he was reading. I noticed the image as one of Selena Gomez.

"Do you have something against Selena Gomez?" I asked, returning the magazine to the shelf and picking up another one. This one had Ashley Tisdale on it.

"No," Skylar replied. "She's hot. I need some pictures to put on my wall."

For a moment I stared at him in utter disbelief. I managed to shake it off and continue rummaging through his shelf. i stopped cold when I found a magazine with my face on the cover. Staring down at the cast of So Random, I found myself about to cry from heartache. "I didn't know you liked So Random," I muttered, trying to hide the pain in my voice.

"I used to," Skylar replied. "Then they added this annoying bitch from Wisconsin. The show's turned to puke since then."

I turned on him in that instant. "Do you think I want to be here? Do you think I _enjoy_ being stuck here with a little brat, some blind hag, and her disgusting boyfriend?"

"So leave!" Skylar shouted. "Leave us alone and give me my life back!"

"I wish I could," I whispered, allowing the magazine to slip from my hand as I wiped a tear from my eye. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing's simple, that's why it's called life," Skylar mumbled. "What I don't understand is why some small town loser finally got the chance of a lifetime and was willing to give it up to hang out with some whore from New York."

"You think that's what happened?" I asked, my voice rising again with anger. "You have no idea."

"And you have no idea what it's like to be an eight-year-old living in the crappiest city in America with a sick mother and her psycho boyfriend who finds it fun to drink a little too much and see what happens. _You_ don't know what its like to have somebody you look up to invade your home and make your mother wish that she could trade everything she has, _including _you for some kid she gave up before you were even born. _You_ don't know what it's like to be kicked out of your bedroom, or beaten because you don't want to. _You_ don't know what it's like to count down the days until your stuck with no one but your mother's stupid boyfriend and whatever drug and liquor he got from his friends that night!" Skylar screamed, tears rushing down his face like waterfalls.

At that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to comfort him. I wanted to put my arms around him and hold him and tell him that everything would be okay. However, I knew that he wouldn't accept the gesture, so I simply stood waiting until his sobs began to settle.

He swiped at his eyes, trying to hide the tears that were too plain on his face. His eyes were red and so was his face that he buried deep in his hands.

"You looked up to me?" I asked, the only thing I was able to process.

Skylar got up from his bed and walked over to his dresser. Opening one of the drawers, he removed an object that he held out to me. I almost screamed. It was a bobble-head, but the head on its shoulders was mine. Skylar grabbed the body and the head and yanked until its head came tumbling off of its shoulders and fell to the floor.

"You destroyed my bobble-head," I gasped.

"And you destroyed my life. Now we're even," Skylar said, his voice cracking as he threw the bobble-head Sonny into the trash can.

I wasn't sure what to say, knowing that any word that came from my mouth would only infuriate him more. As Skylar returned to his reading, I slipped out of the room, for some reason hoping that the distance would make him forgive me.

* * *

It was around six o'clock that evening that I saw Silvia again. She seemed to be sneaking back into the house, the most unrealistic smile I had ever seen plastered on her face once she knew that she had been caught.

"Hello Sonny," she greeted me. She went around my to place her purse on the counter. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Where have you been?" I asked, completely ignoring her question.

Silvia's smile dropped from her face. "Just running some errands; nothing to discuss." Before I could call her on her lie, she had disappeared into her room.

**Okay, so this chapter is shorter than the last one, but the amount of time it took me to write it was pretty short. I'm actually surprised I was able to write this much this fast, but for some reason the ideas just kept pouring into my mind. Anyway, once again, I'm doing that annoying super long author's note thing. So please review and... UGH**


	11. Author's Note

**Author's Note: Everybody, I'm sooooo sorry that I haven't update recently, but I've been so busy with school and basketball and everything else so please be patient with me. My goal is to get a chapter up by Sunday, so please be on the lookout for it. :D Thanks.  
**


	12. Chapter 10: Chad

**OK, I've decided to take some genius advice that I received so this chapter will be in Chad's P.O.V. Thank you Channylover.  
**

**Chapter 10:**

Sonny signed off after informing me that she would be coming home soon. I tried to contain my anxiety as a few of my costars came into the room and began discussing how well we did on the last episode of Mackenzie Falls. Before I had gone out with Sonny, I would have been more than happy to brag about my part, but something about her helped me realize how ignorant I had been. The time I had spent with her had been enough for me to realize that I wasn't the most important person in the world.

Since Sonny had left, I actually found myself spending some time with the rest of the So Random cast. I thought continuously of what she might think of me if she saw me, but it got to the point that I felt the only way I could keep myself from missing her, was to spend a good amount of time with her friends.

As I sat next to Tawni who found it necessary to curl her hair at the lunch table, I found my mind wandering to what Sonny was doing in New York. Was she having fun? Did she miss me? Did she even _want_ to come back?

"...can't believe they think some chick from Florida can replace Sonny," Zora said, grimacing at the food on her plate.

"Wait, what?" I asked, my mind slamming back to the conversation at hand.

"Marshall hired this girl from Miami to replace Sonny," Tawni replied, sounding like she didn't care and wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else. I knew that she didn't really feel that way. It was obvious that she cared about Sonny almost as much as I did, but her indifference was really starting to piss me off.

"How can he replace her?" I asked. "She's coming back."

"She might change her mind, Chad," Tawni said, smiling at her reflection in her compact mirror. "Just because you're here doesn't mean that she can't resist coming back."

I was surprised by the anger that coursed through me as I practically threw the chair aside and quickly escaped from the cafeteria. I could practically feel heavy stares on my back as I made my way to my dressing room, but I didn't care. Tawni may think that she's better than everybody else, but she had no right to just sit back and watch as Sonny loses her job to some amateur from Florida. How would Sonny feel when she came back to find that her job had been taken? And she would be coming back. She had to come back...

**I know that this was incredibly short especially after such a long wait, but I've been super busy and I wanted to get something up to hold you guys off for a while so please review and I'll try to update again soon. Sorry. :C**


	13. Chapter 11: Sparkles Like Crystal

**WARNING: sorry guys, but the reason its been taking so long to get these chapters up is that I've been having some serious writers block. I already have an ending for the story in mind, but I just cant seem to figure out how to get there. So sorry, and any ideas are much appreciated. Thanks. **

**Chapter 11: Sparkles Like Crystal  
**

By nine o'clock that evening, Silvia and Jay had gone to bed. I walked into Skylar's room to find him lying face down on his bed, his body shaking as he sobbed. I wanted to turn around, walk about into the living room, and pretend that I hadn't seen anything. But part of me knew that I couldn't just leave an eight-year-old boy crying like that.

"Skylar," I mumbled, sitting down next to him on his bed. "Are you alright?"

Skylar didn't look at me and for a moment, I wondered if he even knew that I was there. "Sonny," he sobbed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please go away."

"Skylar," I whispered again, gently touching his back, "I just want to help you."

"Well, you can't," he cried, sitting up and facing me. "There's nothing you can do." Instead of asking me to leave again, he collapsed into my arms as he continued to sob. I wasn't sure as to how I could possibly comfort him, so I simply held him as he continued to cry.

I stayed with him until he fell asleep, and once he had, I left him and managed to fall asleep on the couch. It really wasn't very uncomfortable, but I knew that comfort wasn't why Skylar complained. He hated being controlled by Jay more than I hated to watch it happen.

When Silvia woke up, I stopped her before she could even make it to the kitchen. This time, when I brought up Jay, she simply ignored me and pushed past me to go make her coffee.

When Skylar woke up, Silvia took him outside to talk to him. I wasn't sure what she was talking to him about, but I desperately hoped that he wasn't paying for my suspicions.

I was actually relieved when Skylar invited me into his room after breakfast. Clearly he wasn't mad at me, so I allowed myself to believe that Silvia wasn't mad at him. "What did your mom want to talk to you about?" I asked.

He sat on his bed channel surfing. When he heard my question, he put the remote down and looked at me for a moment. "If I tell you, you can't tell her, okay?"

I smiled. Keeping secrets from Silvia wasn't exactly something that I was thrilled about, but it did cheer me up that he trusted me enough to tell me a secret. I nodded my head and he began.

"My mom's sick," he said. He paused for a moment as if debating on how much he should tell me. "Really sick. She was just telling me about her doctor's appointment."

"What's wrong with her?" I prodded.

"She has cancer," Skylar mumbled, picking up the remote and removing the back before replacing it and repeating the process. "She was diagnosed a couple years ago."

I wasn't sure what to say. "She's going to be okay, though, right?" I asked.

Skylar shook her head. "The doctors said that she should have been dead a year ago. She got lucky. They're putting her on a lot of medicine, but they don't think she'll last long."

I was stunned into silence. What did you say to an eight-year-old boy that just told you his mother was dying of cancer. Skylar seemed pretty composed, but I could tell he was troubled. I mean, of course he was. What kid wouldn't be? Was it fair for him to lose his mother at such a young age? I thought about what it would feel like if I had lost my mother. Of course, Silvia was my mother too, but it wouldn't feel the same if and when she died. She hadn't raised me; I wouldn't miss her like Skylar would.

"Don't tell her, okay?" Skylar said, returning to flipping through the channels. "She doesn't want anyone to know, and I don't want her to get mad at me."

I nodded although I wasn't sure I could keep my mouth shut. I had never been trusted with such a large secret, and now I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep it.

* * *

**Chad's P.O.V.**

"You can't replace Sonny!" I screamed at Marshall. "She's coming back!"

"I know you want to believe that, and we all do, but what if she doesn't?" Marshall said. "We can't hold her spot and the show until she finally decides to come back. And If she does, she can still have a place on _So Random_."

I knew I had lost the argument, so I left his office. I wondered who this new girl would be. Would Sonny's fans follow her now? I knew it wasn't fair to ask the directors of _So Random_ to continue playing re-runs until Sonny came back from New York, but if- _when-_ she did come back, how would she feel to find some new girl taking her spot? I knew she wouldn't be okay with that.

"Oh my GOD!" A girl with curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles screamed. "You're Chad Dylan Cooper! It's my life's dream to meet you!"

I smiled my appreciation as she ran up to me. "Can I have your autograph?" she asked, holding out a small black book and a sparkly blue pen.

I nodded, flipping it open and scrawling my name against the page. "And your name is?" I asked.

"I'm Crystal," the girl replied. "I'm here to be on _So Random._"


	14. Chapter 12: From Sonrise to Sonset

**Chapter 12: From Sonrise to Sonset  
**

**Chad's P.O.V.**

"You mean the show _So Random_, the one filmed here," I stammered.

Crystal grabbed her book from my hand, still smiling but looking a little surprised. "Um, ya, that would the one," she said.

"Oh."

"So, wanna show me around?" she asked, smiling at me.

"Um, sure," I replied. Little did I know the mess I was getting myself into.

* * *

**Sonny's P.O.V. **

I stared straight at the TV screen as Skylar ran through each of the channels for the fifth time. I couldn't concentrate on anything but the information he had just shared with me. One question kept coming to my mind, 'what would happen to him if Silvia died?'

"Sonny," Skylar began, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something else."

"Anything," I replied.

"It has to do with Jay..."

"I think I already know," I said, interrupting him. "It's pretty clear that he's not very nice to you."

Skylar shook his head and returned his attention to the TV. "Don't tell my mom."

I wanted to say that she already knew, but I knew that that would only hurt him more. I nodded my head and sat silently as he returned to flipping through the channels.

I knew it would make Skylar upset, but as soon as I got the chance, I confronted Silvia. I announced that I knew about her illness and I made sure to tell her how much her son was suffering because of her actions. I expected her to retort with some stupid excuse about how she was doing her best. Instead, she collapse onto the couch and broke out into tears.

"Don't you think I know that?" she practically screamed. "What else am I supposed to do? If I die, Skylar will end up in a foster home! He'll be all alone!"

"So it's better to leave him with somebody who's going to torture him?" I asked, not in any way understanding her logic.

"With Jay, he'll still live in the same home, the same town. He'll go to the same school with the same friends. He'll receive everything I leave behind, and he'll be able to continue his life as normally as possible," Silvia replied. "In a foster home, what will they do? Will he be sent across the country, across the world? Will the family be poor? Will he be able to make any new friends? And what if they mistreat him anyway? In what kind of circumstance would he be in then?"

I wasn't sure how to respond. Of course that would be horrible, but what's to stop Jay from taking everything Silvia leaves with Skylar. What's to keep him from moving across the world and dumping Skylar somewhere while running off with Silvia's money?

I shook my head, unable to say a word. Instead, I left Silvia to her crying.

* * *

**Chad's P.O.V.**

I showed Crystal around the whole studio- the filming sections, the dressing rooms, the bathrooms, even the storage areas. With everything I told her about the history and fun we'd had at the studio, she simply asked me to tell her more. I guess I didn't much mind showing the new girl around, but every time she flipped her fiery red hair and did her flirtatious giggle, I felt like I was betraying Sonny, even if I did continuously remind Crystal that I had a girlfriend and wasn't at all interested in her. I think those words only made her want to try harder because her attempts didn't let up.

When we ran into Marshal and Tawni on the tour, I was more that ecstatic as I found myself able to shake Crystal off of me and into their care. Tawni flashed a smile, flipped her blonde hair, and returned to pretending that she was the only person in the room. Marshal started up on a long story about how he had first started working at the studio. Crystal smiled and nodded seeming intrigued. I couldn't help smiling too as I made my escape.

I walked into the cafeteria and took a seat at one of the Mackenzie Falls' tables. The place was pretty much deserted, and that actually made me pretty happy. Since going to my own dressing room would only drag my costars to start raving about whatever useless nonsense they were interested in today, it was nice to be able to find some peace and quiet inside the cafeteria.

"There you are." I looked up to find Crystal walking up to me. She pulled out the chair across from me and took a seat. "Why did you abandon me?"

"You looked like you were having fun," I mumbled, definitely not happy that my silence had been shattered.

"Hello, I was acting," Crystal replied. "I'm pretty good. That's why I managed to get the part."

_'Sonny's part_,' I thought to myself. However, as I sat there and Crystal dove into an account of her hometown, I didn't voice my opinions. I managed to keep quiet about the fact that she was annoying me, and that her presence did nothing but make me think of Sonny and how much I missed her. '_Sonny,_' I said in my mind, '_please come home.' _

_

* * *

_**Sonny's P.O.V. **

I went back into Skylar's room to find him sleeping. He was so mature for his age that sometimes it was hard to remember that he was in fact just an eight-year-old boy. Of course, when I remembered, I wanted to cry. He was just a little kid and yet his life was falling apart. Any day, his mother might leave him for good with a man who beat him.

I thought back to my home. i thought about how I had been raised by two loving parents that would never have done anything to hurt me. They would protect me and try to please me like good parents. How could Skylar- my _brother_- have ended up in a life quite so different from the one I had known.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and allowed my thoughts to stray to my mother. How I missed her! I knew I would have to stay for a few days more, but if I could, I would have run to an airport at that very moment and taken the first flight back home. I missed being able to talk to her about my problems, and even just sitting there with her when I was upset.

And that led me to thoughts of Chad. I had never been in love before, but if I had to guess, I would say that this was what it feels like. That feeling of wanting nothing less than to be away from him. Knowing that every second I could spend with him, whether in person or simply chatting online, was a moment to be treasured. Being able to entrust my secrets in him and knowing plain and simple that he could entrust his secrets in me. It was that feeling that I missed more than anything else. It was that feeling of love that I had for Chad and for my family that I knew Skylar was unable to experience, and that alone was enough to make me cry.

**Yay, I actually finished writing this by my personal deadline. Anyway, please REVIEW. Like, seriously, review. **


	15. Chapter 13: Early Sonday Morning

**Chapter 13: Early Sonday Morning  
**

It took another week, but by the time Sunday came around, I was ecstatic. Reluctantly, Silvia had ordered my plane ticket back to California. I was going home. My plane would leave on Wednesday, and by Thursday at noon, I would be in Chad's arms again.

Skylar seemed almost as reluctant as Silvia to let me go. I found myself thrilled to be leaving, but I also couldn't help worrying about Skylar being left alone with Silvia and Jay.

"I think it might be good for him to get away for while," I proposed as I sat watching Silvia prepare dinner. Every night since the confrontation, I had seen her sit around thinking. I wasn't sure, but I felt- and hoped- that I had gotten through to her and that she wouldn't leave Skylar with Jay.

"Why do you say that?" she questioned, draining the spaghetti she was preparing.

"He's overwhelmed," I replied. "With everything that's been going on and with Jay..." I paused for a moment to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. "Then of course finding out that he has a sister and being forced to adjust. He needs a chance to get away."

Silvia sighed, acknowledging that I was right. "And what do you think we should do?"

"He should come with me," I suggested. "It doesn't have to be long, and he can come back whenever he wants. This way he'll be able to spend some time away doing something interesting in a place that he'll be safe. He loves _So Random_. It'll be nice for him to be able to meet the cast and hang out on set."

"I don't know, Sonny," Silvia said. She had turned her attention to stirring spaghetti sauce. "It might be nice for him to get away for a while, but I'm just not comfortable with him flying all the way to California without me."

"He'll be with me," I said, hopelessly trying to reassure her. "If you really don't feel comfortable with him going alone, why don't you come with us?" I suggested. I didn't really want Silvia hanging around the set, but I was certain that this might be able to help Skylar with what he was going through. Even if Silvia was there, him being able to get away from Jay would be more than worth it.

"I can't, Sonny," Silvia replied. "I have things to take care of a doctor's appointments that I just can't miss."

"Then like I said, I'll keep him safe," I insisted.

Silvia sighed. "Get my credit card and order him a ticket," she said, giving in.

I jumped up from my chair and did something I never thought I would do; I gave her a huge hug. Silvia seemed much to surprised to hug me back, and I made sure to leave before she could collect herself.

* * *

"I don't want to go to California!" Skylar screamed when I told him the news.

"But it'll give you a chance to get away from Jay," I explained.

He thought this over for a moment, seeming to debate whether or not it was worth it. After a few moments, he shook his head and turned away from me. "I don't want to go to California," he repeated.

I sighed. I understood why he wouldn't want to fly across the country with some girl he barely knew, but I needed to get him away from Jay. My conscience kept screaming at me that something terrible would happen if I left him here and it would be all my fault.

"Please Skylar," I begged.

He shook his head, adamant on his answer.

I stood for a moment trying to think of something that might be able to convince him that the trip was worth his while. "You'll get to meet the cast of _So Random_. I could probably even talk Marshal in to letting you be on the show," I said at last.

"I can meet Tawni," Skylar said hopefully.

I nodded although I was pretty sure what he was hoping she would be and what he would actually get were two totally different things. He thought this over for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

I couldn't hide the fact that I was thrilled. I was going home, and I was taking my brother with me.

* * *

**Chad's P.O.V.**

"I've tried for a few parts to a few different movies, but none of them were right for me," Crystal droned on. "I'm not sure why, but I think this one will be better."

"Why would you say that?" I asked, trying to think of an excuse to get away from her.

"Well, everyone here is just so much nicer," she replied. "I mean, no one else would just give me a tour. Being in those places was like being left alone in the jungle to fend for yourself."

"Sounds like MacKenzie Falls," I mumbled. Crystal laughed. By laughed, I mean LAUGHED. Like longer and louder than any joke deserved.

"Chad, we really should spend more time together," Crystal said. "I'm having a little party in my dressing room tonight. You're invited."

A dressing room party?!? "Crystal, I already have a girlfriend," I said, slowing pronouncing each word hoping to get the point across.

"I know, silly," Crystal replied. "Everyone's invited. I just thought you might like to stop by. I'd _really_ appreciate it."

"Alright," I sighed. "I'll go. But only for a little while."

"That would be great!" she cheered. "I can't wait."

* * *

Walking into Crystal's dressing room that night, I honestly couldn't help but wonder how long she had been planning. The room had been decorated to the point that I couldn't even tell that it had once been a dressing room. There were balloons and tables with drinks circling the perimeter. And who carried that chandelier in here?

"Chad!" I heard Crystal call before I could see her. I turned around to find her standing behind me in a red cocktail dress. "I'm soooooooooooo happy you're here."

I took a quick glance around and recognized a few of my costars from MacKenzie Falls and the cast of So Random. But who were all these other people.

"Did you know that there's going to be a new show filmed here?" Crystal began, pretty much answering my unspoken question. "Something called Sunlight or Moonlight or something. I thought I'd invite the cast over too since we're all new here."

"Great," I said sarcastically and Crystal smiled. When was she going to go badger somebody else?

"Come on," she said, grabbing my hand. "There's something I want to show you."

**I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very long and it took so long to update. I promise to make the next one longer. Please Review. **


	16. Chapter 14: A Crystalline Reunion

**Chapter 14: A Crystalline Reunion  
**

**Chad's P.O.V. **

I closed my eyes as Crystal led me down the hall. I wasn't sure where she was leading me, and quite honestly, I couldn't really care less. As hard as I was trying to be nice to her, I was about three seconds away from telling her to get lost. If I hadn't started dating Sonny, then I probably would have done so a long time ago.

"You can open you're eyes now," Crystal mumbled, letting go of my hand.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself if a big empty room that I didn't recognize. There was only a couch, a window, and a few light fixtures. "Why did you bring me here?" I questioned.

Crystal smiled and giggled lightly. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really," I mumbled.

Before I could react, her lips were pressed against mine. As much as I wanted to pull away, I couldn't. Something was drawing me in...

* * *

**Sonny's P.O.V. **

I couldn't believe how long it took for Skylar to pack. He spent so much time debating over what he should bring that we were almost late to the airport. Silvia dropped us off, and I could tell by the look in her eye as we checked in our luggage that she really didn't want to let Skylar go. As soon as he was out of earshot, I promised her over and over again that I would take good care of him. She smiled at me, but it was clearly forced.

When we got on the plane, Skylar made me exchange seats with him so he wouldn't have to have a window seat since he was apparently terrified of heights. As we waited for the other passengers to board so we could take off, Skylar continued to twitch around in his seat. He would glance behind him down the aisle, look forward again, and repeat the process.

"Is it possible for you to sit still?" I asked, grabbing his wrist in annoyance and trying to get him to sit down.

"I've never left New York before," Skylar mumbled.

I was beginning to understand that he was just as afraid of this trip as his mother was. I wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything would be okay, but I knew that I would only be wasting my breath. The only thing that would make him feel better was having a safe flight and a good time in LA.

Skylar fell asleep early into our five hour flight. I stared out at the clouds as I thought about returning to So Random. I had been so caught up in taking care of Skylar that I hadn't even thought of my friends. Just imagining the looks Nico and Grady would give me made me smile. I thought of Zora and Tawni and Chad... I couldn't wait to kiss him again. I could already feel the force of his lips on mine. I had been waiting for that moment for so long, and it was almost within my reach.

* * *

When the plane landed, Skylar and I hurried over to the baggage claim to gather our belongings. Skylar's eyes darted around the airport in wonder. Every person who walked by seemed to fascinate him to no end.

It wasn't long before we were able to gather our belongings and catch a Taxi to Condor Studios. Images of Chad and the rest of my friends continued to flash through my brain.

"When do I get to meet Tawni?" Skylar asked impatiently. He was continuously glancing out of the window to see what was flying by.

"Once we get to the studio," I mumbled.

The taxi pulled up at Condor Studios and I grabbed our belongings from the trunk. Skylar bounced up and down impatiently.

I led him into the studio and into the dressing room that Tawni and I had shared. When I arrived, it was to find that my half of the dressing room had been completely redecorated with pictures of bands that I had never heard of.

"Sonny?!?" Tawni shrieked, running up to me and hugging me.

"Hey, Tawni. What happened to me dressing room?" I asked, slightly outraged, slightly confused.

"After you left, Marshall wasn't sure if you were coming back so he hired some girl from Florida to take your place," Tawni replied. "We haven't exactly started an episode yet, and she isn't much of a replacement. If you tell him you're back, I'm sure he'll dismiss her."

I nodded, unsure of how all of this could have happened. When I turned to look at Skylar, I noticed that he was staring, mouth agape, at Tawni. I almost laughed. "Tawni, this is my, um, brother, Skylar," I managed to get out.

"You have a brother?" Tawni asked, looking at Skylar who seemed like he had just landed in heaven.

"Apparently so," I mumbled. "Do you mind watching him. I want to go find Chad."

"I don't baby sit, Sonny," Tawni replied, pouting her lips.

"It's just for a little while," I replied. "Please," I begged.

"Fine," Tawni sighed, but you had better not take long.

"Thanks," I said, rushing out of the room and heading over to MacKenzie Falls' part of the studio. It took me about twenty minutes to locate Chad finishing a scene. I was about to call out his name when I saw a girl jump on top of him and smother him with kisses.

I froze. There must be some sort of misunderstanding. "Chad!" I called, approaching him, hoping my face didn't show my surprise.

"Hi, Sonny," Chad said. He turned to the girl and said, "Crystal, this is my ex-girlfriend, Sonny. Sonny, this is my girlfriend, Crystal."

Apparently I was a lot easier to replace than I thought.

**OMG I am soooooooo sorry. I know it's short but I really just wanted to get an update up. I'm really sorry it took forever, but my internet has been wonky for the last week and half so doing basic homework has been almost impossible, let alone getting in an update. So anyway, please review. :D**


	17. Chapter 15: Fracture

**Chapter 15: Fracture  
**

I just stood there, unsure of how to respond. The last thing I wanted was to give away any of the emotions swirling through my mind- anger, confusion, heartbreak. "Hi, Crystal," I managed to choke out. "Why exactly are you here at Condor Studios?"

"Didn't Marshall tell you?" She asked, giggling softly. "I'm your replacement."

"Oh, so you're the new girl from Florida," I said, trying to keep my voice leveled. This could not be happening.

"That's me," she said, a smile spreading across her pathetic face.

"Well, that's great," I replied, false cheeriness evident in every fake word. "I actually haven't talked to Marshall yet, so if you'll excuse me..."

I sped out of the room without looking back at Chad or his new girlfriend. When I reached Marshall's office, he was on the phone, but motioned me inside. I sat down in front of his desk, my thoughts a jumbled heap inside of my head. Did Chad really find it that easy to replace me? Was I ever worth anything to him?

"Sonny," Marshall said, hanging the phone up. "It's so good to see you. Some of us had doubts that you would return. I mean, not me, I always knew that you would come back, it's just some people. Well, you know how people can be..."

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Marshall," I mumbled. No beating around the bush. "I'm here to talk to you about Crystal, my replacement."

"Oh, yes, of course," Marshall responded. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, was hiring a replacement really necessary?" I questioned, still trying to keep my resentment towards said replacement out of my voice.

"Well, as I said early, Sonny, some of us weren't sure if you would be coming back, and we couldn't exactly leave the show empty," Marshall replied.

"Well, yes, but So Random was up and running long before I came in," I started. "Why couldn't you just continue with the regular cast."

"We could have," Marshall said, considering the idea. "However, Mr. Condor advised against it since our rating went up so high once you joined."

"But did you really think my fans wouldn't know the difference?" I asked, the desperation spilling through the cracks in my defense.

"Of course the would, Sonny. You're one-of-a-kind," Marshall replied. If I was one of a kind, why didn't anyone find me worth keeping. "Still, we were desperate. It doesn't matter, either way. We'll be more than happy to add you back into the show as if you never left."

"So you'll fire Crystal?" I asked.

"Sonny, the poor girl came all the way from Florida. We can't just send her back when she's done absolutely nothing wrong. She hasn't even gotten a chance to be on the show at all. We at least owe her that," Marshall explained. "But don't worry, she'll be nothing more than another costar."

I was afraid that even that was one role too much.

* * *

When I returned to find Skylar, the dressing room was empty. I wasn't sure where Tawni had taken him, but I trusted her enough to know that he would be safe. On my way out, I nearly ran head first into Crystal. She looked me up and down with contempt before mumbling, "This job should be no problem."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, no longer fighting to hide my fury.

"They expect me to replace _you._ No one's even going to notice that you're gone," Crystal said, flipping her red hair back.

"For your information, Marshall isn't kicking me off of the show," I said.

"And for your information, it doesn't matter. By the next show, I'll have more fans than you," Crystal countered. "And P.S., Chad's a really good kisser."

"Do you really think he actually likes you?" I fought back, my body heated with rage. "He's just using you as a play thing."

"Jealous are we?" she asked. "He's so far out of your league."

"Ten seconds of you and he'll be crawling back to me," I challenged.

"People change, Sonny. And, then, there are the people who _are_ changed," Crystal replied, her eyes looking like they held a secret that only she would ever know. "The old Chad may have liked you, but you broke him, and he never will again."

"Oh please, Chad _can't_ be broken," I replied. "And Chad can't be loyal," I mumbled as an after thought.

"That's fine, sweetie, but in the end, you'll realize that you don't know people as well as you think. And your little screw up has given me one _fantastic_ prize," Crystal said, an evil smirk taking over her strawberry pink lips. She licked her lips in a way that disgusted me beyond belief before turning her back to me and walking away.

* * *

When I finally found Skylar, he was sitting the cafeteria with Tawni, a large bowl of Fro-yo in front of him. "Hi, Sonny," he said, waving to me. I waved back and sat down with them.

I turned my attention to Tawni who was applying her favorite coco moco coco lipstick using her hand-held mirror. "Did you know that Crystal and Chad had hooked up?"

"Mmhmm."

"Why didn't you tell me before I made a huge fool of myself?" I nearly screamed. Tawni barely glanced at me although Skylar's gaze was now fixed on me.

"What good would it have done, Sonny?" Tawni asked, slipping her lipstick into her purse. "You still would have tried to see the good in Chad and wouldn't have believed that he had broken up with you. You would have gone to him to try to get an explanation, and everything would end exactly the same, except I would have wasted some of my valuable time."

"Who's Chad?" Skylar asked, stuffing his face with yogurt.

"Sonny's ex-bf," Tawni mumbled.

Skylar stuck his tongue out in disgust before returning to his frozen treat.

To be totally honest, I really didn't care what Skylar thought, or how dumb Tawni's selfish response was. All I wanted was to be able to talk to Chad, and for him to admit that he was sorry, that he had a mistake, that he felt nothing towards Crystal. Of course, I knew that if I went to find him, I would simply break out into tears and embarrass myself further. Why did Chad have to be such a jerk sometimes?

"If it helps any," Tawni began again, "I don't think they'll be together for very long. After all, they have absolutely nothing in common. Chad only cares about himself, and Crystal only cares about what she looks like in other people's eyes."

That did make me feel a little better, but I knew that nothing would be able to heal the gaping hole in my chest.

* * *

The next morning, Marshall handed out our scrips for our next episode. Only one sketch hastily scribbled in at the end included me. Clearly they had been planning this when they still thought I wouldn't be returning.

With nothing to do as the cast rehearsed sketches that I wasn't even considered to be in, I decided to take a walk around the studio. I knew where everything was, and nothing was really all that interesting, but walking allowed me to think. Of course, if I had been able to think about anything but Chad, the walk would have been much more peaceful. I didn't want to question why I wasn't good enough for him. I didn't want to question why Crystal was. I just wanted to close my eyes and forget about the whole ordeal.

Closing my eyes was nice, but it probably wasn't a smart thing to do when you're walking down a hallway. I collided headfirst with someone that clearly hadn't been paying attention either since the force was enough to knock the two of us off of our feet.

I opened my eyes to find Chad staring at me. I couldn't move; I couldn't speak, and, apparently, neither could he. "Sonny," he said, the same way he always used to say my name, before we had even considered getting together.

"Chad," I retorted. We pulled ourselves to our feet. He was about to walk away when I stopped him.

"Wait," I said, upset by how childish my voice sounded. "Why Chad?" I asked despite my better judgment. "Why trade me for her? Didn't I at least have the right to know before you got together with her?"

"Oh yeah," he replied sarcastically. "Just like I had the right to know that you were going to New York. Just like you were in a rush to tell me when you were coming back."

"That wasn't my fault," I fought back. "If I didn't go with Silvia, she would have dragged me away anyway."

"And you couldn't even tell me when you were coming back?" Chad challenged. "Or even _if_ you were coming back? I had no way of knowing! You could have called."

"We chatted online all the time," I said.

"At first, and then you stopped logging on. I waited for you and you never logged on," Chad replied. "What was the point of me waiting for somebody who didn't even care."

I wanted to say something else. I wanted to fight and say that I had tried. I wanted to tell him that I loved him.

Instead, I watched as Chad just walked away; out of my life.

As much as I hated to admit it, Crystal was right. I had hurt Chad Dylan Cooper. So why was I the one in so much agony?

**Okay, so this is one of my longest chapters and I wrote all of it today. Wow. Anyway, I'm proud of this chapter and I hope all of you are too. The next update won't be until at least Sunday since I'm going to the New Moon Premiere!!!!!!!!!!! and still have school to go to. Anyway, please review. I'm so close to my goal of 100 my hundredth reviewer will get a special reward. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!**


	18. Chapter 16: Sonny With a Chance of Reven

**Hello, everyone. I'm back and THRILLED. Drum roll please.... I've REACHED 100. I know it seems a little over dramatic, but I've been writing fanfics for a good two years now and I never thought the day would come. I want you all to know that you have helped me to realize my dreams and to understand that I shouldn't quite give up writing. Anyway, I was going to give a reward to the 100th review. But then I thought, wait a minute, that reviewer wasn't the only person who helped me reach 100. I couldn't do it without all of you. As a reward I'm allowing everyone who has reviewed at least five chapters to send in a request. Anything you want to see happen in the story will happen, all you have to do is write the word _Channy_ and I'll be sure to add it into the story. But be warned, once you've submitted your review, there is no going back. I won't take the idea out of the story and you will not be allowed to submit another one. Of course, I'll still be open to suggestions, but nothing will be certain. With that in mind, please continue reading and reviewing, and think about what you would like to see in the story. Thanks again everyone. I hope you enjoy. **

**Chapter 16: Sonny With a Chance of Revenge  
**

I only saw Chad one more time that day. As I was walking over to practice the only sketch I had been included in, I passed him in the hallway. He didn't even look my way, and I tried my best at pretending I hadn't seen him.

Skylar seemed to be having loads of fun. He had explored the whole studio, first with Tawni, then Nico and Grady, and finally with Zora. Although all of his excitement had gone into meeting Tawni Hart, he seemed far more interested with Zora, probably because of their ages. Of course, Tawni didn't like thinking that somebody preferred Zora to her, so she began feeling a strong distaste for Skylar. Just great.

Even through all of this, my mind stayed focused on one person; Chad. I didn't understand how one self-centered person could possibly tear my world into so many pieces. I told myself that he wasn't worth it, that I didn't need him, but I knew that I was wrong. He was worth it, I did need him. Of course, I had no way to get him back. He was gone for good.

* * *

"CUT!" Marshall screamed, calling the cast to order for the third time since we had started rehearsing ten minutes prior.

"What now, Marshall?" Tawni asked. "I put the eyeliner away!"

"Not you," Marshall said. "Sonny, you're supposed to be a camp director. What's with the long face?"

_'Maybe it's because I lost my boyfriend and gained an enemy all in one day,' _I thought to myself. "Nothing," I replied. "Sorry, Marshall."

"Alright, everybody," Marshall said. "Can we please do this right?"

Once we finished rehearsal, Skylar ran up to me and began relaying his day. i listened, trying to drown out my thoughts with the words flowing from his mouth.

"So I take it you had fun?" I said once he was finished.

Skylar nodded vigorously. "I can't believe you've been here while I've been stuck in New York. This place is awesome!"

"Just don't tell Silvia that," I mumbled.

I managed to steer clear of Crystal. I knew that if I saw her I would only burst into tears. Of course, that didn't mean that my mind didn't constantly stray to images of her and Chad, smiling and happy together.

I sat in my dressing room, simply waiting for the day to end, when Tawni came screaming into the room. "Sonny, you'll never believe this!"

"No offense, Tawni, but I really don't care about what happened to your lipstick," I replied.

"It's not that, although they really shouldn't have made it lighter. Anyway, it's about Chad and Crystal," Tawni began, my eyes flashing to her as much as I wanted to pretend that it didn't bother me. "They've been fighting like crazy. Apparently she's getting on his last nerve, which means they'll probably break up."

_If only he'd be willing to take me back_, I thought. "I don't see what the big deal is..."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Tawni asked.

"No, I wanted Chad to stop hating me," I mumbled.

"This is your chance to get him back."

I sighed. It was a bit of a long shot, but I was desperate enough to take it.

* * *

**Chad's P.O.V.**

I couldn't take another minute of Crystal's annoying jabber. If I had to give her another foot massage, I would probably puke. I didn't want to talk about her hair or her clothes, or her new shoes. Most importantly, I didn't want to think about Sonny. I didn't want to admit to myself how much I missed her. I wasn't going to allow her to have that kind of power over me.

"Hey, isn't this a little over dramatic?" Caleb Winters, a newly hired actor for McKenzie Falls, asked.

"It's a drama show!" I screamed. "What do you expect?"

"Jeez, chill, will you?" he said. "Did your girlfriend break up with you or something?"

"I wish," I muttered under my breath, wanting nothing more than to go to So Random and beg Sonny to take me back. Of course, I knew I couldn't do that. I couldn't give in to her.

* * *

**Sonny's P.O.V. **

I sat down at our usual table in the cafeteria and wished that my friends weren't too busy to sit with me. I picked at the lettuce in my sandwich, my mind straying to all different places.

"Hi, Sonny," Skylar said, sitting down across from me.

"Where have you been?" I asked, slightly mad at myself for not truly being interested.

"Just hanging out," he replied. He kicked his legs up onto the table, but instead of scolding him like I knew I should have, I simply ignored it. "Wow, why so gloomy?" he asked.

"It's nothing," I mumbled, not wanting to drag him down with me.

"So, your just like a naturally depressing person?" Skylar asked.

"Hardly," I snapped. "Just been having a bad week."

"Can I help?" he asked.

I looked at him to find that he looked completely sincere, something that I hadn't been expecting. I must look really upset if Skylar was offering to help cheer me up. "It's okay. Go have fun. I'll be fine by myself."

"Okay," Skylar said, getting out of his seat, "but if you need anything, I'd be happy to help. After all, I wouldn't be having this much fun if you hadn't rescued me from New York."

I smiled slightly at him, but I knew that it wasn't very convincing. Within a few moments, he was gone.

I sat, staring at my plate, returning my attention to my uneaten sandwich. "Is this seat taken?" a male voice asked. I shook my head out of reflex although the last thing I wanted was company from an absolute stranger.

"You know," he started again, "you're far too pretty to be sitting here by yourself."

I looked up to find a boy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. "How many times have you used that come-on recently?" I asked, once again uninterested in wherever the conversation may be going.

"None, actually, so you can feel pretty special," he replied.

"One of a kind," I mumbled.

"So, what show are you on?" he asked.

"So Random," I replied, not even taking enough notice to be insulted.

"Cool, can't be nearly as dreadful as McKenzie Falls," he said.

"You're on McKenzie Falls?" I asked, my head shooting up.

"Yup, new guy," he explained, holding out his hand. "I'm Caleb Winters."

"Sonny Munroe," I said, grabbing his hand and giving it a slight shake. He smiled.

"Been here long, Miss Munroe?" he asked, his voice sounding formal.

"Not too long," I replied. "I moved here from Wisconsin a couple of months ago."

"Wow, must have been a big change. I mean, in lifestyle," Caleb observed.

"Pretty much, yeah," I replied.

"I'm actually from San Francisco so it wasn't a very big adjustment," Caleb explained. "And you really look like you want to be alone right now. I guess it would be too much to ask for you to share your problems with a complete stranger."

"Probably," I mumbled, partly hoping he would leave, partly hoping he would badger me until I spilled my life story to him.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you alone, but if you want to talk, well, you know where to find me..." He said, leaving the sentence open.

"Yeah." I couldn't hold back my smile as he left.


	19. Chapter 17: Changes in the Son

**Hey, everyone! I'm sorry it takes so long for me to update, but I'm hoping that will change over Christmas break. Anyway, I have a new poll on my profile that I'd like all of you to vote on, and from there, all you have to do is press a little button and type a review. :D**

**Chapter 17: Changes in the Son  
**

The following morning, I ran into Caleb again. Part of me said to simply ignore him and keep walking, but a larger part new that I would only be passing up a unique opportunity. "Hey," I said, smiling.

Caleb smiled back looking surprised. "Hi. I didn't think you'd actually remember me," Caleb said.

"Of course I remember you," I said, hoping that my smile didn't look forced. "How could I forget the new actor at MacKenzie Falls? I never forget the new guy."

"Well, lucky me," Caleb smiled.

The conversation felt pretty awkward at first, but as it went on, I found that Caleb was actually pretty easy to talk to. He was much more down to earth than the usual actor from MacKenzie Falls, and he didn't have a problem admitting his faults; another rarity.

"I've only been in some small commercials before this," Caleb explained. "I auditioned for a few other parts, but there's always been someone better than me. Actually, I had originally tried for a TV show role as a child, but Chad was actually the one to win the part."

"Really?" I asked, slightly embarrassed by how much that interested me. '_Forget Chad_' I continuously told myself.

"Yeah, but I can't really blame them," Caleb continued. "Chad is an amazing actor, and I'm just a rookie."

"I'm sure that's not true," I replied. "After all, Chad is hardly the best actor of his generation, although he'll try to convince you that he is."

Caleb smiled, a cute, innocent little grin that made me smile back. "Well, if it helps any, I think you're probably the best actress of your generation."

"What game are you playing?" I asked, smiling wider. "You watch _So Random_?"

"All the time," Caleb replied. "You guys are hilarious."

"Thanks," I mumbled. Even after Chad and I had started going on, he still didn't find it worth his time to watch _So Random_. I had told him that it didn't bother me, but it did. It was nice to know that someone from that stuck up studio was actually willing to give us the time of day.

"You know, just because Chad doesn't think your special, doesn't mean he's right," Caleb replied. "If he can't realize how special you are, well, then it's his loss."

"You say that like you know me," I replied, looking him over.

"I don't, but, if you'll give me the chance, I'd like too," he replied. That deserved another smile.

* * *

I found myself going to McKenzie Falls that afternoon to watch them film. I had only gone over twice before for the same reason when I had wanted to see Chad. This time, however, I simply wanted to watch Caleb make Chad look bad. I can easily say that he delivered. Not only was Caleb a better and less overly dramatic actor, every line that flowed from his mouth seemed natural, not as though he had simply read from the script, but as if he were creating the words himself.

**Anyway, guys, I've been having a serious case of writers block so if you would like me to update, I would really appreciate it if you guys could toss in some ideas. Thanks. :D**


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